Typhoon Kai-Tak kills 27 in Vietnam – Typhoon Tembin hits Philippines, heads for Taiwan and China – Typhoon Bolaven lines up

Strong wind and rain in northern Vietnam unleashed by Typhoon Kai-Tak have killed at least 17 people, damaged thousands of houses and submerged valuable crops, authorities said Monday. The typhoon, which made landfall late Friday, brought winds of about 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour, according to the national committee on flood and storm control. […]

No drought-busting rains seen for U.S. crop belt

By Sam Nelson; editing by John Wallace21 August 2012 CHICAGO (Reuters) – Benign weather is expected for the next week or two in the U.S. Midwest crop region, with no serious delays of early harvest but also no significant relief to corn and soybeans from the worst drought in half a century, an agricultural meteorologist […]

Graph of the Day: Retreat of the Ata Glacier, 1915-2005

The Ata Glacier (29° 10′ N, 96° 48′ E), with a length of 16.7 km and an area of 13.8 km2, is on the southern slope of Mount Kangri Karpo in the southeastern TBP (Fig. 3d). The glacier was photographed in 1933 (ref. 21), 1976 (ref. 20) and 2006 (this study). We studied this glacier in detail using the historical photos, […]

‘Pervasive effects of climate change’ shifting Massachusetts butterfly species

By Jeremy C. Fox 20 August 2012 Harvard scientists say they have found shifts in the Massachusetts butterfly populations tied to climate change, according to a new study published Sunday in the scholarly journal Nature Climate Change. The study, which used data collected during 19 years by amateur enthusiasts from the Massachusetts Butterfly Club, found […]

Merkel’s green shift forces Germany to burn more coal

By Stefan Nicola and Tino Andresen20 August 2012 Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government says RWE AG’s new power plant that can supply 3.4 million homes aids her plan to exit nuclear energy and switch to cleaner forms of generation. It’s fired with coal. The startup of the 2,200-megawatt station near Cologne last week shows how Europe’s […]

Drought-stricken Farm Belt not headed for another Dust Bowl, say seed companies

[Indeed; we could be headed for something much worse. –Des] By Chuck Raasch, USA TODAY19 August 2012 The severe drought that has hit the Farm Belt does not immediately threaten to create another Dust Bowl or widespread crop failure, thanks to rapid innovations in the past 20 years in seed quality, planting practices and farming […]

Image of the Day: Satellite view of smoke from wildfires in the U.S. West spreading eastward, 12-14 August 2012

Caption by Michon Scott19 August 2012 Intense wildfires in California and Idaho sent smoke eastward across the United States in mid-August 2012. Smoke affected air quality as far away as the Great Lakes Region, and some of the thickest smoke stretched from the Dakotas to Texas. Wildfire smoke is a combination of gases and aerosols—tiny […]

Drought-stricken ranchers lose hope U.S. Congress will provide money for feed in time to save herds

OMAHA, Nebraska, 19 August 2012 (AP) – It’s hard to tell what frustrates Todd Eggerling more – the weather or Congress. Searing temperatures and drought scorched Eggerling’s land in southeast Nebraska, leaving little grass to feed his 100 cattle. Then Congress left for a five-week break without agreeing on aid to help ranchers through one […]

Graph of the Day: Global Temperature Anomalies, July 2012

Caption by Mike Carlowicz17 August 2012 July 2012 was the hottest month on record for the contiguous (lower 48) United States, according to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It turns out that the month was pretty warm globally as well, lining up as the fourth warmest […]

Climate change poses risks to food supplies beyond U.S. drought

By Alister Doyle17 August 2012 Downpours and heat waves caused by climate change could disrupt food supplies from the fields to the supermarkets, raising the risk of more price spikes such as this year’s leap triggered by drought in the United States. Food security experts working on a chapter in a U.N. overview of global […]

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